Dash Between Those Years
by Gone-to-Lunch-Indefinately
Summary: Shikamaru one shot. Flashbacks fill his mind as he regrets ever thinking badly of the once annoying girl. She followed him everywhere, but not anymore. One thing is for sure though, he'll never forget the dash between those years. ShikamaruOC


**Shikamaru is one of my favorite good guys in the Naruto series so I thought he deserved his very own one shot! I hope you like it and please R&R! I do not own Naruto (the series) in any way, I only own my OC.**

She would always be following him. Everywhere he went she was always there, waiting. It annoyed him so and he always wondered why it was him. That was the only thing the world's laziest yet smartest shinobi couldn't figure out. She would follow his team to a restaurant, even if she had her own team to talk to.

_/Flashback/_

_"Good morning Shikamaru!" The young kunoichi popped up in front of the more than tired Shikamaru, her long black hair bounced along with her. Her charcoal black eyes gleamed with happiness as she smiled big._

_The young boy groaned as she proceeded to follow him like a lost puppy._

_"Are you meeting your team again today?"_

_"Yes, now will you stop following me? You're so troublesome."_

_She pouted his way but continued to follow him._

_"Don't you have to meet your team? I mean, when do you ever hang with them? Why is it always me?"_

_She looked down in disappointment._

_"You mean you don't like hanging with me?"_

_"Don't change the-"_

_"Hey, Shikamaru, I didn't know you had a girlfriend!"_

_"Ino," The girl ran to one of her friends. Girls, the only puzzle he will never be able to understand._

_"Hey Shikamaru," He turned to his best friend, Chouji. "She's following you again?"_

_"When is she never following me?"_

_/Present Day/_

The only thing that was worse was that his sensei allowed it! He actually found this girl's stories amusing!

_/Flashback/_

_"So that's how you actually get a pig to fly!" She had just finished one of her long rambles and was smiling her usual goofy smile._

_"You sure do get into a lot of trouble don't you?" Asuma-sensei chuckled._

_"Yep, it's amazing I'm still alive today!" She jabbed a finger into Shikamaru'__s side. "Ne, Shika-kun, were you even listening?"_

_"Stop calling me that. You are so troublesome."_

_"You say that about everything Shikamaru," Ino pointed out._

_"Yeah Shikamaru," Chouji paused to put some fried pork into his mouth. "I don't think there's anything you haven't called troublesome."_

_"That's because everything is troublesome." He reasoned._

_"You don't think clouds are troublesome," The girl who was momentarily out of the conversation immediately jumped back in. "You love to watch the clouds roll by. Why is that?"_

_He groaned as another wave of questions came his way._

_/Present Day/_

She would be there when he trained.

_/Flashback/_

_"Come on Shikamaru; get your lazy ass off the floor!"_

_He groaned from his position on the cold hard floor._

_"Troublesome woman,"_

_/Present Day/_

She would be there when he was taking a nap…

_/Flashback/_

_He snored lightly as he slept in the soft grass. Unbeknownst to him, light footsteps were coming his way._

_/Present Day/_

…Then she would wake him up.

_/Flashback/_

_"Shika-kun," She pounced on the sleeping shinobi… or rather, he was sleeping._

_Groaning he asked, "What is it?__"_

_"I just wanted to talk to you! You know you're my favorite person right?"_

_/Present Day/_

Back then he never knew the meaning behind those words. But now he wished he did. That last mission… was the last she was ever on.

_/Flashback/_

_"Shika-kun," The young girl waved as she ran up to him, stopping just before him._

_"What is it?" He asked, annoyed._

_"I'm gonna be leaving on a big mission soon! Isn't that great! And I'm gonna be the leader," She had a smug smile on. "Turning chuunin was the best thing that ever happened to me!"_

_/Present Day/_

As always, he was too late. Word had gotten to him too late and he blamed it all on himself for not being fast enough, even though he knew it wasn't his fault.

She remembered what she would always say…

_"You have to be faster! What's gonna happen when something bad goes on and you aren't fast enough to react!?"_

He would always retort with a snort, but now… he had no one. The girl, the one to always follow him around every where he went, was now gone.

He stared down at the grave stone… empty; they had never found her body. The only things that turned up were some of her old weapons and her dirty, blood-stained headband.

Even though nothing was found he still thought a proper burial was at hand. Staring down at the grave stone one last time, he confided all his true feelings and left, never to see her again…

_Tsukiakari Ushiro-Amagumo_

_1995 – 2008_

_Friend, rival, over all annoying girl._

_She will always be remembered for her beaming smile and happy-go-lucky attitude._

_May her spirit live on in all of us…_

He will always remember the dash between those years…

The end.


End file.
